18 February 2013

Butterflies and other beasties

Not only does it have a large netted garden full
of tropical flowers with hundreds of butterflies fluttering around, it also has
a butterfly breeding programme.

Egg-covered leaves are collected from the
garden each day and stored in plastic tubs in a small propagation area. Once
hatched the caterpillars are fed on their favourite plants – and what wonderful
colours those caterpillars are, from the camouflage colour of pale green to the
bright red and black stripes of warning.

The butterflies are equally varied, some vibrant
reds and oranges, others plain black and white but intricately patterned, some
large, others small and delicate. All are species native to Cambodia.

Leopard lacewing

The friendly centre guides share their knowledge
of the different varieties, explaining the butterfly life cycle and the
peculiarities of each species. They’ll also show you their pet scorpions, and
their resident population of stick insects, larger than any I’ve seen before.

Not a butterfly, a yellow moth

By training the residents to farm butterflies and
employing locals as staff, the butterfly centre benefits the surrounding
community, as well as helping to conserve the butterflies – a win, win
situation!

About Me

I am a writer and photographer; project
manager and English teacher; knitter and genealogist; fungi forayer and bird
watcher; countryside rambler and city strider; volunteer and child sponsor; tree
lover and cat person; researcher and blogger; nemophilist; and traveller.